FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COVID Protocols Announced for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend
Not While Running, but Masking Required at Critical Areas
of Marathon Weekend
St. Paul, Minn. - September 21, 2021 - Masking will be required for all
indoor spaces and in select higher-density outdoor settings at Medtronic
Twin Cities Marathon Weekend which kicks off Friday, October 1, and runs
through Sunday, October 3, in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The event, which is being held with reduced field sizes across its races
and with extra space for social distancing, announced finalized COVID
protocols for the event. Masking will be required for participants, event
officials and volunteers:
- At the Health & Fitness Expo at Saint Paul RiverCentre on October 1-2
- At other indoor facilities associated with the event, including enclosed
tents
- On race transportation vehicles, including buses to the start line
- In outdoor start area corrals where runners gather before their races
- In outdoor finish line walk-off area
Additionally, because most youth participants have not been vaccinated,
masks will be required for all participants, volunteers, staff, and other
attendees in the registration and race packet pick-up area for the
Medtronic TC Family Events, TC 10K, presented by Dermatology Consultants,
and TC 5K, presented by Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., on Saturday, October 2.
Runners will not be required to wear masks while they run their races.
"We take health seriously, we take safety seriously and we take COVID-19
and the Delta variant seriously," Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director
Virginia Brophy Achman said. "Our staff and medical team have been
preparing for this event since the pandemic emerged. We've worked with the
Minnesota Department of Health, an internationally respected crowd
scientist and with local and national industry peers, including the
Minnesota Running Industry COVID Task Force, to design the right safety
measures for our event. We wanted to do everything we could to help our
participants feel confident when they are at our event."
Additionally, event organizers have taken steps to reduce high-density
gathering situations, by staggering start area arrival times, moving gear
check drop off to the expo from the start area, and transforming formerly
tented areas into open-air spaces when appropriate.
"We are asking participants, volunteers, and staff at the event to be
considerate of others' comfort level and maintain distance from people
outside their household," Brophy Achman added. "The running community has
always shown fellowship and respect for one another, so we're confident
that spirit will prevail during this unique edition of the event."
The event's comprehensive COVID-19 Policies and Procedures document may be
read here.
Despite the safety precautions, the event will still offer the spirit and
energy Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon is known for. More than 18,000
participants will enjoy races on Saturday and Sunday, October 2-3. Local
mascots will still race on Saturday at the Medtronic TC Family Events,
marathon runners will enjoy personalized, recorded cheers and greetings
from friends and family via a large Cheer Channel video screen at the 18.5
mile mark, and all race finishers of legal drinking age will earn a free
Summit beer at the finish line beer garden.
The return of the event to the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul after
its one-year hiatus will also reestablish an important fundraising platform
for dozens of local nonprofits who use the marathon to raise money and
awareness of their organizations. Runners raised more than $1 million at
the last in-person edition of the race in 2019.
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday, October
1, with the opening of the Health & Fitness Expo at the Saint Paul
RiverCentre, continuing through Saturday evening. Running kicks off at 7:15
a.m. Saturday, October 2, at the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul with the
TC 10K, presented by Dermatology Consultants, followed by the TC 5K,
presented by Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. and the Medtronic TC Family Events.
The Medtronic TC 10 Mile will kick off Sunday racing at 7 a.m. from
downtown Minneapolis with the 2021 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon following
at 8 a.m. Both races finish at the State Capitol grounds.
For more information about the event, visit the Twin Cities In Motion
website, tcmevents.org or by downloading the TCM app here.
Twin Cities In Motion (TCM) is the region's premier running event company.
Its mission is simple - ignite everyone's inner athlete. TCM is a 501 (c) 3
nonprofit that organizes dozens of events throughout the year, including
the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, a Top 10 U.S. marathon, to provide
opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, and experiences to live an
active, healthy lifestyle. Collectively, TCM and its charity partners that
fundraise at TCM events regularly give back more than $1 million annually
to a variety of causes. For more information, visit us at tcmevents.org, or
find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @tcmarathon.
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